1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method configured to output two pieces of image data as one image and a program therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of digital printing, a multicolor printing method that uses a special toner has attracted much attention. As an example of a special toner, a transparent toner has been used, which can provide glossiness on the surface of a print product by smoothing out irregularities of the surface of the print product.
A transparent toner is a transparent recording agent used for adding a colorless and transparent image having no pigment. In executing printing by using such a transparent toner, various visual effects can be provided on a print product by changing the number of times of fixing operations or an area of a print product on which the transparent toner is to be applied.
More specifically, when a “one-pass printing method” is used, an image is generated by using CMYK color toners and a transparent toner, and printing of the generated image on a recording sheet is completed by one fixing operation. On the other hand, when a “two-pass printing method” is used, an image is generated and fixed on a recording sheet by using CMYK color toners. In addition, in this case, a transparent image is generated on the same recording sheet by using a transparent toner and the color images and the transparent image are subjected to another fixing operation. By using the two-pass printing method, the level of glossiness on the surface of a resulting print product generally becomes higher than that achieved by the one-pass printing method.
Another conventional method superposes a transparent toner image, which is an object generated by using a transparent toner, on a part of color images generated by using CMYK color toners instead of superposing the same on the entire color images. Hereinbelow, this conventional method will be referred to as a “partial transparent print processing”. When the partial transparent print processing is used, various visual effects can be provided on the surface of a print product although the type of visual effects may differ according to the type or kind of a transparent toner image to be used.
More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 5A, a conventional method superposes a transparent toner image 502 right on a CMYK toner image 501 to fit thereon. By using a conventional method like this, a visual effect can be provided to highlight the object itself, which is generated by using the CMYK toner image 501, as an output image 503.
As illustrated in FIG. 5C, another conventional method superposes an image 508 of a text string “confidential”, which is formed by using a transparent toner, on a CMYK toner image 507. By using this conventional method, a visual effect like a watermark can be provided on an output product 509. In the following description, the former transparent toner printing method will be referred to as a “CMYK image data-dependent type transparent toner printing method” while the latter will be referred to as “watermark type transparent toner printing method”.
Meanwhile, during image printing processing, most electrophotographic type printer can execute image editing processing, such as rotation processing, enlargement processing, reduction processing, N-in-1 printing processing (page layout processing), image reversal processing, or negative/positive inversion processing, by using an image processing apparatus.
A conventional method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-245094, when image data is read and printed from a storage device for the first time, stores a print setting, such as an attribute of a sheet used in the printing. Furthermore, in printing the once-printed image data for a second time and on, the conventional method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-245094 applies the stored print setting.
In the method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-245094, the print setting used in the first-time printing is applied as it is in the second-time printing. To paraphrase this, the conventional method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-245094 does not change the print setting for the image data to be printed for the second time according to the content of the image data to be printed for the second time. In addition, when this conventional method is used, the editing processing cannot be automatically changed according to the content of the image data to be printed for the second time. Accordingly, the conventional method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-245094 cannot effectively save a user from having to execute complicated operations.
In performing printing in which editing processing is executed on image data to be printed by using CMYK toners (hereinafter simply referred to as “CMYK image data”), and image data to be printed by using a transparent toner (hereinafter simply referred to as “transparent image data”) is to be superposed on the CMYK image data, the following two types of processing can be executed on the transparent image data. More specifically, in some cases, the user may desire to execute the same processing as executed on CMYK image data on the transparent image data while in other cases, the user may not.
If the transparent image data is CMYK image data-dependent type image data, the user may expect and desire to execute the same processing as executed on CMYK image data on the transparent image data. More specifically, in this case, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, the user may desire to obtain an output image 506 by using an image of transparent image data 505, which has the same 4-in-1 layout as an image of CMYK image data 504 and which is superposed on the image of the CMYK image data 504.
If the type of transparent image data is the watermark type and if the corresponding transparent image has a 4-in-1 layout, the size of each character included in the watermark may become very small. In this case, the visibility of the watermark may be degraded. Therefore, it is not particularly necessary to set the same layout setting for transparent image data as that for CMYK image data. More specifically, as can be known from an example illustrated in FIG. 5D, if the size of transparent image data 511, which is to be superposed on an image of CMYK image data 510 having a 4-in-1 layout, is not set to the same size as that of the CMYK image data 510, then an output product 512 is achieved, whose visibility of the character string “confidential” is not degraded.
As described above, it is necessary to determine whether to apply the same print setting as the print setting that has been set and used for CMYK image data on transparent image data according to the content and the purpose of use of the transparent image data. In a conventional method, a user verifies the content and the purpose of use of transparent image data to execute the above-described determination where necessary. Accordingly, the conventional method like this cannot save a user from having to execute complicated operations.
If the content of a setting that has been set to CMYK image data, such as “reduce the image size down to 70% and reverse the image”, is to be applied on transparent image data, it is necessary for the user to memorize the content of the setting set to the CMYK image data, and execute the setting of the same setting content to the transparent image data. In this case, if the user sets a wrong setting content by mistake or makes a mistake during an operation for setting the setting content, the same processing as executed on the CMYK image data may not be executed on the transparent image data.
It is sometimes necessary to execute a different setting of image processing based on the type of image data (CMYK image data or transparent image data). More specifically, it is necessary to set different parameters of gamma correction processing or image formation processing for each of transparent image data and CMYK image data. Accordingly, if the same setting as that set for CMYK image data is executed and used on the transparent image data, the transparent image data may not be appropriately processed.
In printing transparent image data, it is necessary to execute processing for generating transparent image data based on a general-purpose image data. Accordingly, if the same setting as that set for CMYK image data is executed and used on transparent image data in printing the transparent image data, the processing for generating the transparent image data cannot be executed. As described above, it is necessary to execute processing unique to each of CMYK image data and transparent image data. Accordingly, the above-described conventional method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-245094 cannot execute different processing for each of CMYK image data and transparent image data.